Remembering the Past
by Garowyn
Summary: [AU] Anakin Skywalker is now an old Jedi Master and Padme NaberrieSkywalker is now a retired Senator. Both are living on Naboo and they receive some unexpected news of their family...


**Author's Notes: Spiderfan does not own anything SW and will not tolerate flames. This is an AU fic major!. I know in the books is described Ben as having red hair but in this fic, I have him with green eyes and dirty blonde hair. THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE VONG INAVSION, ETC. Proceed with caution if you don't want it ruined for you.**

**De****c.23/04-->This is due for revision in 2005.**

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Twenty-four year old Jacen Solo and five year old Ben Skywalker were on their way to the long forgotten planet, Naboo. Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker said it was all right if Ben went with him. Besides, Jacen wanted company and was in need of further understanding of the Force and who better to get it from than his infamous grandfather?

Anakin Skywalker and Padme Naberrie-Skywalker had long since settled down in Naboo at the private quarters across the lake. Padme was a retired Senator and Anakin was a Jedi Master who didn't mind teaching if someone asked. He however was done with full-time apprentices. Both were getting quite old but happy nonetheless of all they had accomplished in their life. They had heartily agreed some years ago that it was time to relax and go into retirement. Their children and grandchildren were already following in their footsteps to a certain extent.

Jacen had not seen them for such a long time. Not since he was nine years old. Ben hadn't seen them at all which is why Mara had packed with Ben's belongings, some holo-photos of Ben as a baby. They were for Anakin and Padme to keep.

Currently Jacen was teaching Ben how to play a certain classic game when Ben interrupted him. "Jacen?"

"What?" Jacen asked, assuming Ben hadn't been listening all along but Ben had surprised him in the past. He was a quick learner.

"What are Grandpa and Grandma like?" Ben looked at Jacen curiously.

Jacen hesitated. "Well, I can't really remember. Mom and Dad-I mean, Uncle Han and Aunt Leia haven't talked to them for years and your mom and dad haven't either. Nor has Jaina." He finally answered.

"Oh." Ben looked down at the game and smiled. He made his move, which unbelievably won the game. "Better luck next time!" He echoed the words of Jacen who had been saying that the whole time.

Jacen smirked. "Beginner's luck." A small beep alerted him that they would be leaving hyperspace any moment now. "Come on." Jacen picked up Ben. "We had better go strap ourselves in." He set Ben in the passenger's seat. Normally he wouldn't have done that but Ben had proved himself countless times that he could listen to an adult and not touch anything.

Jacen then settled himself into the pilot's seat, just in time too. They left lightspeed and found themselves staring at a green jewel of a planet. After he had identified himself to the planet's security, he chose a course leading to the capital city, Theed. "I hope they haven't moved or anything." He murmured as he landed his ship expertly in the main starport. "Let's go, Ben."

After about fifteen minutes, Jacen and Ben found themselves seated in a speeder boat. Ben peered over the edge, seeing his reflection in the water. "Naboo is pretty." He said after awhile.

His cousin agreed and settled back as the driver of the speeder boat turned on the engine and flew ahead. "Been in a speeder boat before?" The driver asked.

Jacen nodded. "Yes I have."

"I don't think I've seen you before. You live here?"

"No but my grandparents do."

"Ah, I see. Who's the young'un?"

"His name is Ben." Jacen replied simply.

The ride continued with small talk between Jacen and the pilot, as Ben remained silent, mesmerized by the beauty of the lake. The water sprayed him a bit and he laughed. It felt good on his face, cooling it down from the hot sun. It was summertime on Naboo.

Finally, they had reached the private dock of the home of Anakin and Padme. "See ya later." The driver said as he started up the engine once more and left the small dock.

Jacen took Ben's hand and together they walked down the stone pathway to the entrance of the large home. All of a sudden, the sound of a slap filled their ears. "Darn bug! I've had enough of your kind!" A male voice rang out.

Ben tightened his grip on Jacen's hand as they neared the door. Anakin was outside glaring at a dead bug on a ledge, muttering to himself.

Jacen cleared his throat to signify their presence. Anakin's head snapped up and he narrowed his eyes trying to see who it was. His hair was cut short and was gray. His eyes remained a bright blue and he was still very tall but not as lean anymore. He wasn't stocky though. "Who are you?" He asked, sensing the familiarity. He was still in tune with the Force, as strong as ever, but old age sometimes got to him. Plus Jacen no longer looked like a nine year old.

"I'm your grandson, Jacen Solo. Do you remember me? And this is your other grandson, Ben Skywalker." Jacen answered, smiling faintly. Ben smiled shyly giving a little wave. He was unsure of what to say.

"Well!" Anakin stood up, wincing a bit because of back pains. "I thought I sensed the coming of relatives. You two are very strong in the Force!" Anakin's manner of speech had changed a bit. He wasn't as serious anymore. He was more optimistic at his age. He went on. "Took you long enough to come visit us."

Jacen smiled guiltily. "Sorry grandfather. It's been a busy year for me."

"Make that...a busy FIFTEEN years." Anakin said after a few calculations in his head. "Has it really been that long?"

"It has. Um...may we come in?"

"Certainly!" Anakin turned to open the door. "You've got a lot of explaining to do and I've got to get acquainted with this young man here!" Anakin grinned at Ben. "And how old are you?"

"I'm five." Ben held up five fingers. "Going on six!"

Anakin chuckled and all three of them entered the house. "Padme! Padme! We have some visitors!" An elderly woman appeared from another doorway, smiling. Padme now had long white hair done up in her usual elaborate styles. She was also wearing a comfortable dress of a pinkish color.

"Jacen!" She cried, instantly recognizing him, mainly because Jacen's eyes still held a mischievous glint in them despite events of past years. She walked over and hugged him tightly. "I haven't seen you in such a long time." She stepped back taking in his older appearance. "My you've grown so tall...and handsome too!"

Jacen blushed and rolled his eyes. "Hey Grandma." He greeted her with his famous lopsided smile.

"Padme, guess who this is?" Anakin suddenly called out and both turned to see a grinning Ben in Anakin's arms.

Padme stepped forward towards them. "Who?" She said smiling.

"Why this little boy here is the son of our Luke! His name's Ben." Anakin responded. "Speaking of Luke, I haven't seen him or Leia in a long time."

After Padme greeted Ben, she turned to Jacen. "Yes, where are they? What are they doing now? Why couldn't they come? Who did Luke marry? Why haven't they kept in touch?" Padme pelted him with so many questions. Her voice held a sad tone to it.

"Maybe we had better sit down." Jacen said. "I've got things to tell you and I've also come to ask you some things as well."

Padme led them all to a large living room where sunlight streamed in. Holopictures, plants, and other assortments lined the walls. She and Anakin sat down on one couch with Ben between them while Jacen sat opposite on a cushioned chair. Padme got up once to get some refreshments and to get Ben a few old toys from Luke and Leia's younger days. She declined help from Jacen and soon returned with fresh fruit juice and some tasty treats. "Help yourself." She said.

Ben took a treat and tasted it. His expression turned to one of delight and sat down on the rug and played with the toys. Anakin gleefully watched him, reminded of his own children. Padme spoke again. "Now, what's going on in the galaxy? We don't keep up anymore with news outside of Naboo. It's just been a peaceful time."

Jacen took a deep breath. "Well, to answer your question about my mother and Uncle, Uncle Luke married a woman named Mara Jade. Ben is their only child. And you already know about Mom and Dad and Jaina..." His voice trailed off.

Padme frowned. "Yes?"

Jacen didn't know how to explain about his brother but before he could say anything at all, Anakin said it for him. "Anakin is dead, isn't he?" He said mournfully.

Jacen nodded in surprise. "How did you know?"

Anakin looked grim. "I felt his death. I also felt the death of many for the past ten years or so. Tell me, what happened?"

"I'm coming to that in a moment." Jacen replied. "Well, my parents and Ben's parents have been pretty busy these last couple of months. And to tell you what happened...well about several years ago, an alien species called the Yuuzhan Vong invaded our galaxy." He then plunged into an explanation of the entire terrible ordeal. Fortunately, Ben was too engrossed in playing for him to understand what Jacen was saying. "The planet Zonama Sekot however saved the day and the entire galaxy."

Padme appeared shaken while Anakin just sat in silence. "I remember that planet." He said after awhile. "But that's a story for another time."

"One of the reasons I came here is...I want to know what happened before I was born. When you two were about my age. I want to hear about the Old Republic and the Clone Wars." Jacen discovered he was leaning forward in an eager fashion. He quickly straightened himself up. "I want to learn about the Old Jedi Order."

"My memory is fading." Padme said sorrowfully. "Anakin, why don't you tell the whole thing? Jacen, do you mind if I take Ben outside with me? I don't want him to hear of dark times."

"Of course I don't mind." Jacen said gently. "Ben, you want to go outside with Grandma?"

"Yes!" Ben exclaimed, grinning. He jumped up and reached for Padme's hand. Together they headed outside.

Anakin began the tale. "Well, the last time we saw each other, I told you about how I grew up and such. I'll start there." Anakin cleared his throat and began. "Obi Wan didn't like it so much when he discovered Padme was pregnant. I knew I had done wrong, going against the Jedi Code. But how can one fight something so pure like love? Nevertheless, Obi Wan didn't bother me as much afterwards about it. We had more important things to worry about such as the Clone Wars and the rise of Emperor Palpatine. One thing I never told your parents or your Uncle. I was tempted to join Palpatine. I was tempted to join the Dark Side." He said in a grave voice.

Jacen's eyes widened. "Really?" Never had he suspected something like that could happen to his grandfather, the one who brought balance to the Force.

"As you can see," Anakin continued. "It never happened." Anakin glanced at his right arm. "I still have my droid arm though it has been upgraded. I almost lost my other arm from a duel with Darth Tyranus, the former Count Dooku and Jedi Master of a man who changed my life, Qui Gon Jinn." Anakin's expression turned to one of grief. "You already know about him. Yes, I did tell you about him. Anyway, I was healed at the Temple, which was later destroyed by the Imperials."

"Imperials." Jacen breathed. He wondered if he should tell his grandfather of the time he and Jaina were kidnapped and taken to a Shadow Academy.

"Yes, Imperials. Palpatine was furious with me. He and Dooku hunted down all the Jedi and killed them all with the exception of myself, Obi Wan, Master Yoda, and a rabbit look-alike Jedi Master named Ikrit."

"How do you know of Ikrit?"

"Yoda told me when I visited him once. I also know Luke visited him years later to learn more about the Force." Anakin coughed once and then continued. "I sent Padme to Tatooine with our children. It was the safest place for the time being. Obi Wan and I both trained Luke at every chance we got. Padme and Leia stayed with my stepbrother and his wife, Owen and Beru, until they went to Alderaan for awhile. Luke had to stay on Tatooine though and help out around the moisture farm they had. I wouldn't let him come with me until he was at least eighteen. I knew he would someday want to fight for the innocent. It was then that Obi Wan decided to stay on Tatooine and watch over Luke and train him as well. I left and continued to help lead the Rebel Alliance. It is not right for a Jedi to fight wars but as usual, I never followed all the rules. Your mother joined the Alliance later and Padme returned to Naboo. I was glad for Alderaan was destroyed a few years later."

Jacen nodded. He had visited the shards of Alderaan once.

"Dooku died during that time on the first Death Star which Luke destroyed. I was shocked to hear that! I was busy helping design a rebel base on the remote ice planet of Hoth. As you can see, I was very much involved in the Rebel Alliance. Once the base was constructed, I left for Tatooine and stayed there awhile. I learned of the death of Owen and Beru and I found that Obi Wan had also returned to Tatooine. I stayed there for two years and found out that the rebel base on Hoth had been destroyed. I hadn't felt Luke or Leia's death but I was still worried. After those two years, I went back to Naboo and stayed with Padme there and we've been living here ever since. Padme had more than enough credits to keep us going all these years. Then your parents and uncle showed up at our doorstep. The Emperor had been destroyed and the second death star had been destroyed as well. The Rebel Alliance had prevailed."

"Uncle Luke said he fought a clone of you aboard the death star. Palpatine had played with his mind." Jacen commented.

"Luke told me of that. I was furious but couldn't do anything about it." Anakin chuckled. "Things turned out for the better...until this you have told me. About the Vong invasion."

"Yeah well, some other not so good things happened before all that. Most of it I don't know so Uncle Luke or mom will have to tell you. Dad will too."

"Is Leia still with that Solo?" Anakin raised an eyebrow and then shook his head as Jacen nodded. "My daughter, a princess, and she marries a Corellian smuggler. Ah well. The man is a hero isn't he? After getting to know him better, I'd rather have him look after my little girl."

"Did you guys get along when you first met?" Jacen asked, taking no offense in the least about Anakin's views on his father.

"Not really but it was okay after awhile." Anakin replied. "But then, since when does a son-in-law get along with his father-in-law? I suppose the occasional son-in-law and father-in-law do..."

Jacen decided to tell Anakin about the adventures he had had in his teenage years.

Meanwhile, Ben was picking flowers for his mother. "Here," Said Padme, handing him a vial. "Keep those flowers in this vial. It has water in it and it will keep them fresh during your journey back home."

"Thank you, Grandma." Ben said politely.

After about an hour, Jacen came out. Anakin followed as well and took Ben with him somewhere else. Now it was Jacen's turn with his grandmother. "So, how are things with you these days?" Padme asked.

"Things have been going good for the most part." Jacen responded. He stared out at the lake.

"Something troubling you?" Padme asked, concerned for her grandson.

Jacen hesitated. Why not? He could tell her. She would understand and might even have advice for him. "I guess the only thing that's been bothering me is...this woman." He said after a moment's silence.

"Tell me about her." Padme smiled.

"Well first of all she's royalty. Her name is Tenel Ka Chume Ta' Djo. She became Queen Mother of Hapes years ago after her mother died." Jacen explained her personality and what she was like. "Just recently, well last year, we became friends again. Well, we've always been friends but we drifted away during the invasion. We became close again and I find that my old feelings for her are returning. I don't know if she feels the same way, which is the thing that's bothering me. Plus my sister Jaina, as much as she loves both of us, doesn't think it will work out. It's because she's the Queen Mother and...I don't know what to do."

Padme nodded and was silent for awhile. "Well, if this is true love, I'm sure love will find a way. Cliché I know, but things could work out."

Jacen nodded vigorously. "That's what I think. If we did get married, we probably wouldn't see each other as much as we used to, what with her responsibilities and my own responsibilities, but things could still work out." He grinned. "Thanks Grandma! I knew I could tell you."

Padme hugged her grandson and then chuckled. "It's a good thing you didn't ask Anakin. I don't know what kind of advice he'd give you."

Soon it was time for Jacen and Ben to leave. They could only stay one day because of things going on back at their homes. It was a sad farewell.

"Come see us again soon, Jacen. Our good health right now won't last long." Anakin said after embracing him. "And you too, Ben."

"I will!" Ben said, having finished crying. Padme had comforted him, assuring him that they would see each other again.

"We won't forget you." Jacen said after hugging Padme once more. "This has been a great day, even though I forgot to ask you Grandpa, to teach me more about being a Jedi...and the Force."

"Next time." Anakin smiled. "Next time."

Jacen and Ben left that evening and Anakin and Padme returned to their home. They would always be busy with their lives, but Jacen believed one should always make time to be with family. He and Ben did, and it was one of the greatest days of their lives.

Author's Notes: Hope it wasn't too bad. This is a one-shot so please don't ask me to update. And don't flame me if you don't like the Jacen/Tenel Ka pairing. I do though. ;)

REVIEW PLEASE! Much appreciated.


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